Afghanistan has challenged Pakistan’s repeated claims about Masood Azhar. The Afghan Foreign Ministry said Azhar is not present in Afghanistan. Masood Azhar remains among India’s most wanted terrorists. Pakistan has repeatedly claimed that the Jaish-e-Mohammed founder operates from Afghanistan.
Afghanistan Rejects Pakistan’s Allegation
According to reports, Afghanistan again stated that its land will not support actions against another country. Islamabad has maintained for years that Azhar escaped to Afghanistan. However, Afghanistan’s statement directly rejects this claim. The development came before the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) reviews Pakistan’s counter-terrorism efforts.
Pakistan faces pressure to take stronger action against terrorist groups and their leaders. The FATF meeting in Paris will examine Pakistan’s progress.
FATF Pressure Adds To Pakistan’s Challenge
Pakistan remained on the FATF grey list between 2018 and 2022. The action followed concerns over money laundering weaknesses and failures against terror financing. Later, Pakistan exited the grey list in 2022 with certain conditions. The Asia/Pacific Group (APG) continues reviewing specific issues linked with Pakistan’s performance. One key issue includes Pakistan’s efforts to arrest Masood Azhar. The FATF process continues examining steps against groups like JeM and LeT.
Masood Azhar Remains India’s Wanted Terrorist
Masood Azhar has faced accusations related to several major attacks in India. These include the 2001 Parliament attack and the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Additionally, his name links with the 2016 Pathankot airbase attack and the 2019 Pulwama bombing. India has consistently demanded global action against him. In May 2019, the United Nations Security Council declared Masood Azhar a global terrorist. The decision marked an international action against him.
The latest Afghan statement has increased pressure around Pakistan’s claims. Meanwhile, the FATF review may further examine Pakistan’s actions against terrorism.
